On Jan. 19, just two days after officially becoming the hottest football player in the NCAA’s transfer portal and shortly after hosting Ohio State coaches for a visit, Caleb Downs announced his decision to move to Columbus. The talented freshman safety, who had recently earned second-team All-America honors at Alabama, was committing to the Buckeyes. Downs and his father wasted no time in relocating to their new home in Columbus.
While the journey to Columbus was straightforward, navigating the city was a different story altogether.
It was time to get some wheels in motion.
“I received a call from a member of the coaching staff who was with Caleb and his dad at the time. They asked if I was interested in adding someone else to our team,” recalled Rick Ricart, the CEO and owner of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus. “They wanted to know if we could facilitate a car deal for him.”
For years, these types of conversations were shady affairs. Local car dealerships had often been used as conduits for under-the-table dealings involving coaches, boosters, and talented players. When these schemes were uncovered, they resulted in scandal and harsh consequences. However, the landscape changed dramatically in the summer of 2021 with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, allowing college athletes to earn money without fear of NCAA sanctions.
Car dealerships across the country quickly embraced the opportunity to provide cars to players in exchange for social media promotion or even appearances in commercials. The once clandestine practice of using car dealerships as intermediaries became openly acknowledged as a legitimate way to attract star athletes. “Suddenly, we were all asking, ‘What are the rules here?'” Ricart reflected. “There are no rules anymore.”
Prior to Ohio State’s outreach to Ricart, fans had flooded his direct messages, urging him to help recruit Downs. Ultimately, Downs secured a Land Rover from a different dealership through The Foundation, Ohio State’s NIL collective, agreeing to serve as an ambassador for multiple charity partners. While Ricart didn’t directly facilitate Downs’ deal, he did serve on the collective’s board of 24 individuals.
Furthermore, business continued to thrive. Following Ohio State’s successful recruitment of highly sought-after receiver Jeremiah Smith, Ricart set his sights on identifying the next promising wide receiver for the program. Just two days before Downs was seen posing with his new Land Rover, Ricart and Smith were pictured in front of the Ohio State football complex with Smith’s new black 2024 Dodge Durango 392 SUV.
A couple members of our NIL team got new rides this week! I’m thrilled to welcome back @jacksawyer33 for his 3rd year with us, cruising in style in a beautiful red Rabid Customs Ford F-150! 🛻
And very excited to bring in @Jermiah_Smith1 ! Looking forward to seeing your… pic.com/gyVtr3WVQ4
— Rick Ricart 🏍🏎💨 (@RickRicart) March 12, 2024
In 1895, William E. Metzger attended the world’s first automobile show in London. A Detroit-based bicycle enthusiast dealing with suppliers in England, Metzger was captivated by the future of motor vehicles. Within two years, he returned to the United States and opened the country’s first retail car dealership. Despite lacking a college education, Metzger’s vision proved groundbreaking while also demonstrating how little he truly understood.
Just under 40 years later, the film “College Coach” made its debut, showcasing the character of James Gore, an ambitious and win-hungry coach confronted by opportunistic expectations. The movie depicted a scene where an offensive lineman visits Gore’s office and hints at joining “Atlantic Eastern College,” which has offered him a 1928 Chrysler with six cylinders.
“I’ll top that offer right now,” Gore responds. “I’ll get you one with seven cylinders.”
This was back in 1933, not even half a century into the era of car dealerships, and already football coaches were leveraging relationships with dealers.
Thus, for decades – as long as anyone can remember – car dealers have played a prominent role, either explicitly or implicitly, in the college athletics landscape. Historically, this element existed outside the typical regulations outlined by the NCAA. However, a closer examination of the chronicles in the context of current events suggests that those programs often labeled as rule-breakers were merely victims of poor luck.
In the early months of 1976, Michigan State football was sanctioned with three years of probation and a bowl ban following an NCAA probe that brought to light 70 charges, including players purchasing cars through special arrangements facilitated by boosters. In 1989, a scandal at Oklahoma State football involved numerous cases of players receiving cars at no cost from athletic boosters or being promised employment at car dealerships before graduation.
Eric Dickerson, famous for his gold Trans Am, an emblem of the excess that led to SMU football’s “death penalty” in 1987, obtained the car from a dealership connected to an A&M booster trying to sway Dickerson to College Station.
Other incidents involved deals at Auto Direct in Columbus, Ohio, which implicated Ohio State players and families in purchasing cars below market rates. In the early 2000s, Oklahoma dismissed players for accepting payment for work they didn’t complete at a local dealership.
Even basketball programs weren’t immune; the NCAA banned Kansas from the men’s tournament in 1961 and 1962 after discovering boosters financed a car for a player. Notably, this player was none other than Wilt Chamberlain, driving a 1956 Oldsmobile convertible.
Tap into pop culture, and you’ll find the archetype of the booster-car dealer depicted in films and TV series, exemplified by the likes of Buddy Garrity in “Friday Night Lights.” Over 73 episodes, Garrity transformed from a one-dimensional schemer into a multidimensional character interwoven with the community and its passions.
The recent introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) freedoms has reshaped these relationships, thrusting them into the public eye. Car dealerships now engage in mutually beneficial arrangements with star athletes, leveraging their social media reach to attract customers in exchange for cars provided for promotional purposes.
Take, for instance, the case of Parker Jones, general manager at Jones Auto Centers in Phoenix, who capitalized on this new landscape, securing the first known NIL car deal with former LSU quarterback Myles Brennan and subsequently partnering with Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels.
LSU quarterback Myles Brennan inked the first known NIL deal of its kind with a dealership in 2021, as the floodgates opened for college athletes. (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
While Jones initially hesitated about NIL deals, his successful venture with Daniels paved the way for more agreements with Arizona State athletes, leading to at least 20 car sales tied to these partnerships.
Similarly, in South Carolina, Martin McKinley at Fred Caldwell Chevrolet found success by partnering with Clemson players, understanding the impact these athletes had with their significant social media followings.
At Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus, Rick Ricart and his team evaluate potential collaborations with athletes based on their social media reach and influence. They ensure that these partnerships deliver value, both for the players and the dealership.
In the era of NIL, the arrangement between athletes and car dealerships has become a public and mutually beneficial endeavor, with athletes driving away in more than just your typical family sedan.
As players like Cade Klubnik and Angel Reese showcase their new rides on social media, the integration of athletes and car dealerships in the name, image, and likeness ecosystem marks a new chapter in the college athletics landscape.
Ultimately, the age-old relationship between athletes and car dealerships has evolved into a contemporary and openly acknowledged collaboration that benefits both parties.(Top image: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Greg Nelson / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images; Martyn Lucy / Getty Images; iStock)